Bottom line we compare against watch lists, we do not
conduct background checks (unless you are coming to work with
us).

As part of the Secure Flight Final Rule, the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires airlines
to provide specific passenger information to conduct watch list
matching and ensure the safety of the traveling public. TSA
currently conducts watch list matching for all domestic and
international airlines with service into, out of and within the
United States. The full implementation of this program fulfills
a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. Prior to Secure
Flight individual airlines were responsible for conducting watch
list matching, which resulted in inconsistencies and
misidentifications for passengers with similar names to those on
the watch lists.

Secure Flight Implementation Dates

October
2008*

Secure
Flight Final Rule published

August
15, 2009

Secure
Flight requires airlines to request and collect full
passenger data for flights within the United States

October
31, 2009

Secure
Flight requires airlines with flights into and out of
the United States to request and collect full
passenger data; Start of airline year-long grace
period for incomplete Secure Flight Passenger Data
submissions

Secure
Flight completes deployment to all international
airlines with services to and from the United States;
Program completes deployment to all airlines
originally scheduled for Secure Flight implementation

*The Secure Flight Final Rule was posted on
the TSA website on October 22, 2008, was published in the
Federal Register on October 28, 2008 and became effective
December 29, 2008. Secure Flight began implementation in January
2009. The Final Rule outlined an implementation plan to shift
pre-departure watch list matching responsibilities from
individual aircraft operators to TSA and implements a key
recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.

**November 1, 2010: As part of the phased-in
process, TSA allotted a grace period of one year to allow for
all reservations made before these deadlines, without complete
data, to clear out of the system. Therefore, for a full year
after the October 31, 2010 compliance date, TSA allowed the
Secure Flight system to process reservations without all
required passenger data elements to be sure that earlier
reservations have been completely processed by the system.

As of November 1, 2010, all airlines must
submit complete passenger data including full name (as it
appears on a government-issued identification the passenger will
use when traveling), date of birth, gender and Redress Number
(if available) to TSA to conduct watch list matching and prevent
individuals who pose a threat to aviation or national security
from boarding an aircraft. Secure Flight will not conduct watch
list matching or approve the issuance of a boarding pass by an
airline if complete passenger data is not submitted to TSA.
Passengers will be directed to airline ticket counters or kiosks
to provide any missing information before the watch list
matching process can proceed.

·The November 1, 2010 date represents the end of
the year-long grace period that TSA allotted airlines in order
to clear out older reservations made before Secure Flight
requirements went into place beginning in October 2009.

·By providing complete information ahead of time,
more than 99 percent of passengers will be cleared to print
their boarding passes at home. As of October 31, 2009 TSA
required airlines to begin collecting Secure Flight data.
After November 1, 2010 airlines and those making reservations
on their behalf will need to provide full passenger data
before a boarding pass can be issued.

·TSA continues to work with airlines and third
party booking entities to ensure the collection of complete
passenger information for watch list matching.

·Secure Flight makes
travel safer by more effectively identifying individuals that
may pose a known or suspected threat to aviation. In addition,
it will help prevent the misidentification of passengers who
have names similar to individuals on government watch lists.

Identity
matters. “Why?” Because it is important to ensure that you are
who you say you are and that your identity has not been
compromised by a person with hostile intent.

One of the
key goals of the program is reducing the number of
misidentified passengers. Initial estimates indicate that
under Secure Flight, in excess of 99 percent of passengers
will be able to use Internet check-in and will not experience
delays in obtaining their boarding passes.

Individuals known to pose a
threat to aviation are not issued a boarding pass and are not
allowed to fly – period. If an individual has received a
boarding pass, he/she is not on the No Fly List.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

GENERAL

Q. What is Secure
Flight and what does it do?

A. Secure
Flight is a behind-the-scenes program that streamlines the watch
list matching process. It provides enhanced watch list matching
capabilities to identify individuals that may pose a known or
suspected threat to aviation. It will also improve the travel
experience for all passengers, including those who have been
misidentified in the past.

Q. When
did Secure Flight complete deployment to all covered airlines?

A. On
November 23, 2010, Secure Flight completed deployment to all
domestic and international airlines.

Secure Flight
will continue to work with the airline industry to deploy to
airlines implementing new service or adding additional flights
covered by the Secure Flight Final Rule.

Q.
Are all airlines currently operational with Secure Flight?

A. Currently,
Secure Flight is fully implemented for all domestic and
international airlines with service into, out of and within the
United States.

Q.
How quickly can Secure Flight differentiate between a No Fly
and a ‘false positive’?

A. The Secure
Flight watch list matching system takes a matter of seconds to
conduct effective matching and determine whether an individual
is on a watch list. To avoid misidentifications and possible
delays at the airport, it is to the passenger’s benefit to
supply complete data when making a reservation, including full
name (as it appears on the government-issued ID that will be
used when traveling), date of birth, gender and if applicable, a
Redress Number. If the passenger believes they have been
improperly delayed or prohibited from boarding an aircraft, they
may apply for redress through the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry
Program (TRIP), at www.dhs.gov/TRIP.

Q. Why are
passengers required to provide their full name, date of birth,
and gender under Secure Flight?

A.It
is to the passenger’s advantage to provide the required data
elements as doing so may prevent delays or inconveniences at the
airport, particularly for those individuals who have similar
names to those on the watch lists. Based on comments received
during the rulemaking process and through extensive testing and
analysis, TSA determined that mandating the provision of the
additional data elements of date of birth and gender would
greatly reduce the number of passengers misidentified as a match
to the watch list. TSA will not collect or use commercial data
to conduct Secure Flight watch list matching.

Q. Does a
passenger need to provide this information?

A. Current
regulations require an individual who makes a reservation to
provide their full name, date of birth, and gender. If a
passenger chooses not to provide the additional data, TSA will
not be able to clear the passenger and the passenger may have to
go through additional steps at the airport ticket counter to
verify their identity. By providing the additional
information when booking airline travel, passengers can expedite
the process.

One of the key
goals of the program is to reduce inconveniences and prevent
passengers from having to go through additional steps to verify
identity at the ticket counter while preventing
misidentifications. Initial estimates indicated that under
Secure Flight, in excess of 99 percent of passengers will be
able to use internet check-in and will not experience delays in
obtaining their boarding pass.

Q.
What if a passenger chooses not to provide the additional data
for watch list screening?

A.
If full passenger information is not provided at the time of
booking, TSA will not be able to clear a passenger to fly.
Passengers will be directed to provide any remaining
information at airline ticket counters or kiosks before Secure
Flight can conduct watch list matching and approve the
issuance of a boarding pass.

It is to the passenger’s advantage to provide the required
data elements as doing so may prevent delays or inconveniences
at the airport, particularly for those individuals who have
similar names to those on the watch lists.

On background: If a passenger refuses to provide the
required information, TSA will be unable to conduct watch list
matching and cannot approve the issuance of a boarding pass.

Q.
If I don’t provide the necessary information when I book my
travel, does my reservation get cancelled?

A.
TSA does not require airlines to cancel reservations if complete
passenger information is not provided at the time of booking. If
complete information is not provided during the booking process,
passengers will be directed to airline ticket counters or kiosks
to supply any missing information before Secure Flight can
conduct watch list matching and approve the issuance of a
boarding pass.

Q.
Up to what point before a
flight are airlines able to submit passenger data for Secure
Flight vetting?

A.
Passengers can provide information up until the time of a
flight’s departure.

If a passenger does not provide all necessary information for
watch list matching at the time of booking, they will be
directed to provide remaining information at airline ticket
counters or kiosks when they arrive at the airport for their
flight.

Q. What if
a person is not on the watch list when the initial Secure
Flight prescreening occurs but is subsequently added before
the flight actually takes off?

A.Secure Flight’s system is quickly updated when
notified of additions to the No Fly or Selectee lists. Because
Secure Flight will match every active travel reservation in the
system against the updated watch list, TSA will be able to
ensure passengers added to the watch lists receive enhanced
screening at the airport or are prevented from flying.

Q.
Has there ever been a security vulnerability up to this point?

A. No. Secure
Flight is one layer in TSA’s threat-based layered approach to
security. All passengers still receive the same thorough
screening at airport security checkpoints.

Currently Secure
Flight is watch list matching all domestic and international
airlines with service into, out of and within the United States.

Q.
What are the required data elements?

A. TSA will
collect the following data elements:

Required:

§Name
(as it appears on the government-issued identification
passengers plan to use when traveling; airline must collect it
and passenger must provide it)

§Date
of Birth (airline must collect it and passenger must provide it)

§Gender
(airline must collect it and passenger must provide it)

§Redress
Number (airline must request it but it is optional for passenger
to provide it, if available)

Q. Why are
passengers required to provide full name, date of birth, and
gender under Secure Flight?

A.TSA
only collects the minimum amount of information in order to
conduct watch list matching. Based on comments received during
the rulemaking process and through extensive testing and
analysis, TSA determined that mandating the provision of the
additional data elements of date of birth and gender would
greatly reduce the number of passengers misidentified as a match
to the watch list.

It is to the
passenger’s advantage to provide the required data elements when
booking air travel as doing so may prevent delays or
inconveniences at the airport, particularly for those
individuals who have similar names to those on the watch lists.

TSA will not
collect or use commercial data to conduct Secure Flight watch
list matching.

Q. Are
there children on the watch lists?

A. TSA is a
customer of the Terrorist Screening Center, a branch of the FBI
that maintains the government watch lists. TSA can work with
airlines to help verify passenger identity for both children and
adults and enable them to fly.

With full
implementation of the Secure Flight program, misidentifications
will be greatly reduced. All passengers can apply for Redress
with DHS TRIP if they feel their child has been misidentified as
a potential match by going to www.dhs.gov/trip.

Q.
Can passengers still get last-minute tickets?

A. Yes. Secure
Flight is designed with the capability to perform real-time
matching for all flights, to include next-day or same-day
flights. Watch list matching takes a matter of seconds and can
be conducted up until the time of a flight’s departure.

Q. If the
name printed on a passenger’s boarding pass is different than
what appears on their government ID, will they still be able
to fly?

A. Boarding
passes may not always display the exact name you provided when
booking your travel. The name you provide is used to perform the
watch list matching before a boarding pass is ever issued, so
small differences should not impact your travel.

Secure Flight is
a behind-the-scenes process that TSA and airlines collaborate on
to compare the information you provide against government watch
lists. The additional data elements that you may be asked to
provide, such as date of birth and gender, serve to better
differentiate you from individuals on the government watch list.

Q. What if
my name and I.D. do not exactly match when I arrive at
security? Will I be turned away and unable to fly?

A.
No. Secure Flight will not impact the process at the security
checkpoint in any way.

While Secure
Flight and travel document checking are both critical security
functions, they serve different purposes at different points in
the security process. At the security checkpoint, TSA strives to
ensure you are who you say you are. TSA performs travel document
checking to see that you, your identification, and your boarding
pass match and are valid. TSA performs this function because
identity matters and it is critical to security to ensure that
individuals with hostile intent do not board aircraft.

Secure Flight is
a behind-the-scenes process that TSA and airlines collaborate on
to compare the information you provide against government watch
lists. The additional data elements that you may be asked to
provide, such as date of birth and gender, serve to better
differentiate you from individuals on the government watch list.

Q.
What is the objective of Secure Flight?

A. The
goals of the program are to:

§Identify
known and suspected terrorists;

§Prevent
individuals on the No Fly List from boarding an aircraft;

§Identify
individuals on the Selectee List for enhanced screening;

§Reduce
the number of false positive matches and thereby, the number of
passengers inconvenienced when obtaining a boarding pass;

§Facilitate
passenger air travel; and

§Protect
individuals’ privacy.

Q.
How will a passenger’s travel experience be different under
Secure Flight?

A.
The biggest change for most
passengers will be providing additional information when booking
a reservation for air travel. Under Secure Flight, airlines
require that passengers provide their full name, date of birth,
and gender when making a reservation to travel and will request
a passenger's Redress Number and passport information if
available.

Otherwise, the passenger experience under Secure Flight will be
the same for most travelers. For those who encounter
misidentification, Secure Flight helps prevent watch list name
confusion by consolidating the watch list process within TSA and
using the DHS TRIP effectively in the watch list matching
process. The Secure Flight rule requires that passengers provide
additional data to help differentiate a passenger from an
individual on the watch list and prevent misidentification.